Tennessee Congressional candidates file final disclosure before primaries

Candidates across Tennessee’s competitive U.S. House primaries are spending down campaign funds ahead of the August 6 election, Federal Election Commission filings show.

In the newly drawn U.S. Congressional District 9, where both parties have competitive primaries, Memphis Democratic state Rep. Justin Pearson and Republican state Sen. Brent Taylor have the most cash left among the pool of candidates running on each side.

Pearson has raised $2.35 million and spent $1.5 million, while Taylor has raised $1.55 million and spent $1.13 million as of July 17.

The state redrew its U.S. Congressional map in May, just three months before the primary. The redistricting effort was led by state Republicans who wanted to eliminate the last Democratic Party-held seat centered around Memphis. 

The map created new configurations for all nine seats, but drastically affected Districts 4 to 9, which are primarily middle and west Tennessee-based. 

Other competitive primaries include the Republican nominations in Districts 5 and 6, and the Democratic primaries in District 5 and 7.

The most money has been spent in the 9th

Candidates in District 9 have spent $4.1 million across this election, more than in any other race. This total does include the over $650,000 spent by incumbent Memphis Democratic U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen. 

Cohen announced his retirement in May, following the redistricting. He has held the seat since his 2006 election.

Pearson and Taylor are the only candidates to have raised and spent seven figures in the race. 

Chapel Hill Republican state Rep. Todd Warner raised almost $690,000 but reported at the latest deadline that he has no cash left heading into the final weeks of the campaign. 

Other Republicans in the race include Jeremy Thompson, who has raised around $220,000 and has $44,000 left in the bank, and Charlotte Bergmann with $66,000 raised and around $12,000 in cash on hand. 

The other Democrats are health care executive Jim Torino, $120,000 raised and $50,000 in cash left, and Memphis state Sen. London Lamar, $76,000 raised and $8,000 left in the bank. 

Republicans in the 6th

Goodlettsville Republican state Rep. Johnny Garrett has spent over $2 million in the primary to win the open 6th Congressional District seat held by now-gubernatorial candidate U.S. Rep. John Rose. 

Former Republican U.S. Rep. Van Hilleary, who’s running to return to Congress over two decades after he gave up his seat, has spent $930,000 in the race.

Hilleary holds the cash-on-hand advantage over Garrett with $620,000 compared to Garrett’s roughly $290,000. 

Republicans spending down in the 5th, one Dem holds large cash advantage

Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles and former Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher are neck and neck in funds raised and spent in the 5th Congressional GOP primary. 

Ogles has raised around $600,000 this cycle and spent nearly all of it, holding around $60,000 in his campaign account, mostly money from past election cycles. Hatcher has raised $720,000 and has about $105,000 left. 

Both candidates currently trail Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder, a Democrat, who has raised $2.6 million and has almost $1.5 million in the bank heading into the general election if he wins his primary.

Molder faces Rachel Hurley, who has raised and spent the $35,000 she’s raised so far, and Yolanda Cooper-Sutton, Devante Hill and Carrie Iacomini, who have no disclosures filed with the FEC. 

Democrats in the 7th

Tennessee’s 7th district Democratic Primary is a partial rematch with Nashville businessman Darden Copeland facing state Rep. Vincent Dixie, also of Nashville. 

Both men narrowly lost in the 2025 special election Democratic primary for this seat held in October, with Copeland coming in second behind Rep. Aftyn Behn and Dixie coming in fourth. They both entered the race in May after the seat was redrawn. 

Copeland has raised $100,000 since entering the race and has about $80,000 in cash left, and Dixie, over that same period, has raised about $75,000 and holds $20,000 in his account. 

The winner of the primary will face incumbent U.S. Rep. Matt Van Epps, who has over $200,000 left in his account.